Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-04-06
CITY OF SELMA.
a City Of Resources and
Prosperity.
4 GEN OF THE SAN JOAQUIN.
A Town Full Of Life, Progress
and Well Directed En-
terprise.

terprise.
The young and prosperous town OF
Selma, In Fresno county, has been gen
orally overlooked by persons engaged in
writing accounts of Fresno county. II
4 situated about fifteen miles south OF
Trssno City. 26l miles north Of Los
Angeles, on the line of the Southern
Paoific Company Railway. in very
rich agricultural region. This city OF
selma was An ordinary way station till
about three years ago, when the great
Frssno system of irrigation was applied
TO the rich plains around the settleme. t. |
The effect was magical. Huge and re.
warding crops began to appear in o
short time; capitalists began to invest
in land in that locality and have already
made hundred per cent. on their in.
yestmenu. In few months buildings
began TO be erected, and were immedi-
atsly occupied. The profits of the new
somers were 30 large that
a BUILDING BOOM
took possession of the town and instead
Of erecting shanties Of wood. fine brick
buildings are being erected on every
aide for commercial purposes and for
residences. Everybody is busy and
loafers find no one to entertain them, 30
they are compelled to 60 to San Fran.
cisco 10 find men of leisure. The people
now abont /, 200 in number are working
with might and main completing gas
works and water works of an excellent
character. Few towns of the size of
Selma can show SO much accomplished
by % few persons. The stores and
dwellings are large and well planned and
the yards aud gardens made almost
voluptuous with flowers.
SCHOOLS, CHURCHES AND SOCIETIES.
The school building is spacious two
story edifice, worthy of prominent
city, and the school has four depart.
ments, we'll graded and Q model of man.
agement. Prof. w. L. Smith is the
principal, and his assistants are the
Misses Car ter, Stewart and Harmon.
The Presbyterian, Congregational and
United Brethren societies have church
huildi. 60. and the Methodist. Episcopal
and Baptist societies have organizations.
A literary society and social club are
among the commendable features of
Selms's social circles.
THE BANK OF SELMA
will be opened at Selma as soon as the
necessary arrangements can be complet-
cd. The direcl ors of the new bank are
Messrs. Whitson, Sharp and Arrants, OF
selma, and Messrs. Braly and Wood.
ward, of Fresno. This will be in the
hands of men who will assist every good
enterprise in substantial manner. At
the time of grain harvest this bank will
BE- godsend to the farmers while gather.
Ing aud marketing their great crops of
wheat.
GRAIN AND COMMISSION HOUSES.
This large and increasing business is
represented in Selma by Jas. B. Shtat.
Kutner, Goldstein & Co. and I. Brown.
stone & Co., all of which firms have
large warehouses and are doing an ex.
tsnsive business. Since July l, 1886,
these des'ers have handled over 566, 600
bushels of grain, grown in the vicinity
of Selma.
The founders of the town. seven years
ago, builded better than they knew.
The town is exceeding their anticipa-
tions. The names OF the founders
are J. E. Whitson, Geo. B. Otis, E.
n. Tucker and Monroe Snyder, who are
live men and are busily engaged in
improving the settlement into q city.
They are subdividing their lands into
small tracts, selling them on cay terms
ct low rates and making place for home
seekers, Mr.. Otis has subdivided sixty
acres Of land on the south side of the city
into residence lots and IL making park
Of seven acres at his own expense A
broad avenue 100 feet wide will lead
through the park. and recreation grounds
will be Furnished for all athletic and
childish sports. No cash payment is re.
qlired at first if purchasers build on their
lot. Near by the same pioneer has a
ine dairy of 200 acres, which is very
profitable. Mr.. J. f. Whitson has
erected . building called the City Hall,
with stage and accessories for lectures,
school exhibitions and theatricals.
1t il gratifying to see how much good
can be done to town by few earnest
workers like the founders of Selma. In
stead of sitting down and waiting to see
values rise they went to work and made
values rise, by selling choice farming
land at $40 per acre with water, and
by putting up warehouses and
stores and planting grain and alfalfa to
show what can be done in that beautiful
locality, which is well suited for a town.
aite.
Selma has a planning mill, large
roller process Touring mill and machine
shops. Several brick blocks are being
erected, while dozen stores and shops
arc doing prosperous business.
1t is safe to say that within year
this remarkably vigorous town will con-
tain 1000 inhabitants.
The Selmans are no riparianists, but
have staunch sheet of their own called
the Selma Irrigator, which it published
with intelligent vigor by MIR. w. T.
Lyon. The sheet is doing good work
for the San Joaquin valley irrigators.
Selma is surrounded already by q Sc
ries of colonies, among them Nebraska
Colony, Sanders, Clifton, Wildfower
and Liberty. for all of which Selma is
the trade center. The whole town is on
. boom, founded on o substantial basis,
that will make large and fourishing
city in the future.
The Grass Valley Daily Union de-
scribes in q column article the new and
splendid quartz mill of the North Star
Mining Company. 1t cost $50, 600, and
10 pronounced the most perfect mill of
its kind in the State. Thirty stamps of
$50 pounds each are going. with power
for ten more. Besides these there are
fwo rock breakars twelve cnncAnfra tors